Most human beings need to sleep. Whether we sleep long hours or just a few, we need our rest. Some persons sleep on the ground; others in beds. Some even sleep sitting in chairs. Of particular importance to the present invention however, are those human beings who sleep on their sides, in fetal position or in a face downward position.
For many of these side or face down sleepers, conventional pillows and head supports fail. The principal failures involve the inability of keeping the head and neck supported in a comfortable sleeping position without putting significant and undesirable pressure on various parts of the human face. For example, certain sideways or prostrate positions using conventional pillows will make the chin or jaw support the head and very often force the cheek and jaw into unnatural relative positions causing discomfort at the very least, and at the most, serious muscular or joint pain. Other problems include the blockage of airways into and through the nose and mouth, or a choking action on the throat. Conventional pillows also often put an unpleasant physical impact on a user's eyes. Allergic reactions are also common. Finally, many people have sensitive facial skin or are wearing an orthodontic device, both of which require as little direct facial contact and pressure as possible.
Many prior attempts have been made to resolve some of the problems resulting from the lack of comfort provided by conventional pillows. However, a great many of these have focused on creating pillow shapes that give better support and comfort to those persons who sleep on their backs. For example, Connell in U.S. Pat. No. 5,307,532 teaches a wedge-shaped pillow made from the composite of two interactive materials to provide a manipulative action to the head and neck. Similarly, Kjersem in U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,114 teaches a pillow folded over and fastened to itself to provide greater support for the nape of the neck of a user. Another unique pillow shape for back sleepers is taught by Summer in U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,246 and involves a flat round pillow having a generally hemispherical aperture to receive and support a user's head by distributing the weight of the head over a wide area. Yet another attempt is disclosed in Meyer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,141, which teaches a generally rectangularly shaped pillow with an irregularly-shaped central hollow. The purpose of this central hollow, as it was in related previous patents, is to receive and seat a user's head. Note however, Meyer et al. describe this head-receiving use for a person lying on his or her back as well as on either of his or her sides.
Another group of prior art patents is addressed to the solution of a similar though distinct problem; the support of a patient's head during a surgical operation particularly when the patient is lying in a face down or prone position. For example, Hartunian in U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,035 teaches the use of a substantially rectangular block of supporting material having a central opening from top to bottom, and at least one side opening. The block also has two top indentations which are used to support a patient's forehead and chin, respectively. Thus, a patient's head is supported such that the greater portion of his/her face is positioned in the central opening so that the patient's airways are unobstructed to allow for the passage of endotracheal or other tubes during surgery. The side opening also allows for the viewing of the patient's face during use. Ray et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,983 teach a similar face-down head support for surgery. This support also has central and side openings for the purposes described in Hartunian and further provides for pivotable adjustability for patient comfort.
Nevertheless, in spite of the attempts of the prior art, there remains a need for a pillow or a head support capable of holding a user's head in a comfortable stable position while the user is laying sideways or face downward without putting any undesirable contact pressure on various human facial elements. More particularly, a pillow is needed which, when in use, will not adversely impact a user's chin, jaw, cheek, nose, mouth or eye areas. It is toward the resolution of these goals that the present invention is directed.